“I meant, you’ll see it happen. In one of those places, you pick. Eyes are not part of my plan, unless my aim goes severely off.”
She regarded him seriously, as if he had shared great wisdom. He looked at her as if he expected a huge speech of some sort from her, but all she said was, "I think we should do it in both places. Can we do it two times?"
“If you don't kill me after the first go round."
She wriggled under him, tone faintly whiny. “I already promised I wouldn’t. Go get the paper.”
“What,now?” He nibbled on her inner thigh, eyes locked on hers in a seductive, entrancing stare, a stare that told her not to break the mood with pens and writing.
Didn’t work.
Her fingers were poking into his scalp, jabbing his head back. “Yes! We have to write it down because you’re being stubborn.”
He rose with a grunt of frustration. “I’mstubborn?The cheek of you, woman! Actually, I like your cheeks.Allof them.” He winked.
Ooh, Brax, standing in front of me.Good height. Good view. Her mouth darted down over his cock again, making him moan. She pulled off. “Yes, you! Mr. Stubborn! Go get the pen.” She pumped him in her hand and nudged him away, falling after him, leaning weakly on his shoulder as he retrieved a pen and paper.
“What do I write, oh, patient one?” he snarked.
Penny could tell he expected a shout or a snipe from her.
She loved watching the way his handsome face softened instead when he felt her affectionate teeth and hot breath on his neck. He turned his head just in time to meet hers, nose to nose, another kiss, a burrowing that led to panting mouths and eyelashes fluttering together. He repeated more gently, “What do you want me to say, Penny?”
“That ... that it doesn’t end after one time. That you don’t hurt me and I don’t hurt you, even if everything we do seems crazy. Even if we’re both stubborn.”
“Well,you’restubborn, I’ll give you that. And I’m an expert in crazy,” he sighed and scribbled down the notes she dictated, passing the pen to her at the end. He stared and smothered an amused “Awww” as she drew hearts around both their names after she signed.
“See? It’s cute. This is the cutest truce document. What do you call them? I can’t think of the name, but it’s like Verse-Sales or something. They do a lot of these papers there.”
“Versailles? Treaty! Yes, this is the cutest peace treaty in the history of Pine Ridge, sweetie,” Brax agreed, putting the paper and pen down.
“You’re pretty cute, too.”
“Sure that’s not just the fever talking?”
“Mhmm.” She was looking at him one second, falling the next, and he scooped her up automatically.Built to catch me. Hunter, prey. But tonight, we’re just trapped together, a team undoing the net that’s wrapped around us.
“Easy, I got you,” he soothed.
She nodded, grabbing his head weakly, pressing her tongue into his lips as they came to hers.
PENNY LOOKED UP AThim so trustingly, sick or not. She clung to him, overheated but shivering, sweating. Maybe her fever was breaking. He found he didn’t care right now.Love her sick, love her well. Fuck, I know I don’tloveher so much as I want her... And maybe I want to love her, too. Maybe... I’d better not worry about what happens next. I get this gift, this one time.“Thank you, Penny. This is the best gift.”
“Thank you, too. It really is.” She nestled into his arms, cooling down, satisfied that she was relaxing him, too. “Do I make you happy? Just the way I am? Even messed up like this?” Penny asked, body curled around his, warming him up, trusting him.
“Yeah, baby. Happier than... Happier than I think I’ve ever been.” Brax frowned as he realized it. Simple little struggles and sweet, unscripted sex with Penny topped all of the secret liaisons with Jenny, all the thousands of nameless, faceless meals and fucks, and Penny definitely outshone the deadly, powerful, dangerous Marietta. “I like you, just how you are. Think I did right from the first time you flashed a stake at me,” he teased.
“You like to live dangerously.”
“Well, I did. And this world, it’s always full of dangers for people like us, monsters and the people who know how to see them.”
“Like us? I’m an us?” Penny whispered, eyes suddenly too bright.
“Yeah. Yeah, that’s right. You’re part of an ‘us.’ You an’ me, braving haywire spells and a town where things aren’t quite what they seem. But it’ll be okay,” Brax put his head against hers. “We’ll stick together—even after this is over.”
“Because you like me?” Penny whispered, biting her lower lip.
He had never been so jealous of human teeth before. “I more than like you,” he whispered back, heart feeling as though itwere flooding to life, powered by the strength of her incredulous smile.
